SOUNDICIAN: Press

STILL - The latest album from the team at Soundician (odette and kit johnson) continues their ambient journey which has been traced in &etc. Those who have been following will know that Soundician tread that fine, hard to distinguish line between ambience and new age: perhaps a non-existant line but definitely a snob-divider. For me new age tends towards anodyne, facile and overly familiar. In my ambience I want some adventure, some difference, but am still happy to listen to basically beautiful music. And Soundician provide this.


We open quietly witha deep underpulse shaking the speakers, a very dark Soundician opening, light buzzles spiraling out, whooshes and a slow high tone melody. Across this spacey piece are intriguing clicks, an unusual addition. Ambient titles are very subjective - this track which seems to rise and grow is entitled Falling. Over the layered washes of Malachite sea a slightly atonal accordion plays a melancholic melody (and which draws line in the depths of my musicl memory with some Eno from Another Day, I think), while brooding drift of piano, bass and choir offer a beautiful Myrtle. On an album where the ambience of Eno and co are an reference point, Pearl billows with tones over a deep undertone, tuned percussion and piano delivering an attractive cold simplicity. Seagrass appropriately includes subtle atmospheric washes that swell towards the end, harp arpeggios and an Eastern influenced plucked string instrument. Among the accents that add that certain something to these tracks is a backwards sounding schwagger that skitters through the voices and whistling tones of Seal - a track which (together with the closing Tundra) reminded me of the scenes created by The Resident's Eskimo album.


Showing how close they can get to new age, Seashell would be quite comfortable down at the local shi-atsu massage centre, voice washes, harp and venting wooshes but we are immediately regrabbed by Stasis with an echo-degraded tom loop, key chord pulses and snare brushes that creates a disconcerting mood. More static than Stasis was, Tide is a picture of sounds-whips, twinkles, paper rustles and riffs in a lovely display. And finally Tundra, starting quite subaquatic with submerged tones, dolphinish calls, washes that all builds as voice like sounds intrude to create that eskimo-like quality.



So again, an album of beauty, subtle complexity and that intriguing quality that makes an instrumental album draw you in and listen to it, rather than let it wash over you. Soundician continue to explore and grow into that ambient sphere of their own creation.

Soundician – Still
CD-R, Private Release, 2007

“Still” is the sixth release by the duo Odette and Kit Johnson, which was officially released on the January 25th, 2008. The album is an almost 40-minute trip of slightly darkening and contemplative soundscapes compositions. After all these years they make music their style is still quite hard to pinpoint, although one always recognises the glimpes of rough edges, minimalism and experimentalism. The track “Pearl” e.g. is a slow 3-minute quiet drifter with nicley moulded textures, followed by the lush, plucking, but a bit flat soundings of “Seagrass”. “Seal” even creates a dreamy, psychedelic feel as its shapeshifting waves go by, while my album’s personal favourite “Seashell” moves into lush, soft whirling textural territory.

“Still” is an electic and inspirational recording that isn’t always that accessible, so best check out some soundbites on CD-Baby to get a better feel of its content.

Soundician – Memorophilia

CD-R, Private Release, 2006

“Memorophilia” is the fifth cd of the English duo Odette and Kit Johnson on which they continue the musical path of its predecessors. Soundician’s output always had a rather unique style and sound, and on this recording the duo further investigates the boundaries of their minimal oriented rhythmic/melodic style. Although dedicated to “those we have loved and lost”, the overall impact of the album is positive and warm. The album nicely kicks off with the great melodic soundings of “Cornfield”, followed by twelve more tracks realming in uplifting textures (“Dawn”) to moody, introspective outings (“Edge”) or almost heavenly, quieting soundscaping (“Lullaby for Jay”). It’s great to see these two musician deepen and further sculpturing their musical skills, I hope lots of Em-fans will finally dig and appreciate their noble excursions of well composed and produced electronica with a slight vein of new age.

Again, well done, Kit & Odette.

www.soundician.com

Bert Strolenberg

&etc 2007_1 - at last!

Soundician always seem concerned that they will
not fit in here – but for me an essential
component of my music is variety (see the web
stuff down below). The Johnson’s are working in
the region of melodic ambient, layering tones
with melodies that shimmer and shine with slower
bass material. Memorophilia (www.soundician.com)
is their fourth album and finds them in fine
form. This is a very enjoyable album of beautiful
music that dances and washes across the
soundsphere with a lightness that is relaxing and
joyous. There are many highlights, such as the oriental feel of
Seconds or the deep throb in Warrior. The
Soundician sound is developing and evolving and
continues to provide music for pleasure.

Memorophilia is the latest album from Odette and Keith Johnson who record under the name Soundician. Though new to me these artists have four previous, and apparently well received, albums under their belt. Falling somewhere between electronica and new age, and skirting a few other genres, their music is bright, melodic, and sometimes minimalist.

The album gets off to a great start in “Cornfield” where a bright melody of sparing piano notes plays out over a minimalist chattering rhythm. High pitched angelic chorales periodically pad out the background along with bass notes. Later in harpsichord style notes join in the melody making. Listening to this piece you can imagine children running through a cornfield with all the energy of youth.

The next couple of tracks are also bright and continue the uplifting emotional resonance of the music experienced so far. In the track “Edge” there's a more serious feel as synthetic waves and deep bassy disturbances in the sound field create a swell like being on a restless ocean. Ticking percussion and a melody of pingy notes conveys a slightly pensive or expectant mood.

In the piece “Lullaby for Jay” the artists show they can also do quieter more restrained tunes. Sparkling Kitaro-esque notes like a cosmic music box create a backdrop for a slow restful tune complemented by will-o-the-wisp wordless vocals and gentle plucked string notes.

Soundician excel at mixing repetitive rhythms and open melodies that easily capture one's interest. I especially like the tribally edged rhythm using a stick sound on “Seconds”. Airy vocal washes and a pipe or flute sound reminiscent of world music adds a further exotic element to this mesmeric piece.

Now I've heard Memorophilia I intend to seek out more of the work by this talented duo. They have a distinctive sound and style which I thought occasionally verged on the baroque. The unabashed pretty and innocent, but not superficial, melodies make it a delightful album.

SOUNDICIAN
Memorphilia
Soundician (2006)

Odette and Kit Johnson, the English duo who are Soundician, favor us once more with an album filled with their unique hybrid of electronica, chill-out, ambient, EM and new age instrumental music. Memorophilia, recorded (per liner notes) “for those we have loved and lost,” signals a return to a tighter more cohesive sound for the pair, in comparison to their previous release, Seven Sisters. While their musical “signature” is readily apparent from the very first track (the sparkling uptempo “Cornfield” which pulses forward on a bed of staccato synths while a forlorn digital piano plays the melodic refrain in the foreground), there are new wrinkles here as well, which is to be expected since the Johnsons never dwell in a musical clearing for long. All three of their previous recordings after their debut (The Beauty is knowing..., Tranquilicity, and Seven Sisters) displayed a flair for introducing new instruments, motifs, and subgenres even while retaining characteristics which earmark their albums as uniquely “Soundician.”

One thing that is new on this release, at least from my perspective, is the incorporation of more obvious European chill-out elements, such as the shuffling beats and sunny Ibiza-like melodies on “Sundial” which ripples on an electronica sky-blue horizon like the sun rising over the ocean. One thing I have always praised in the Johnson’s music is how well-layered all the disparate/different elements, instruments, textures, and effects are, and this song is a perfect example, as dissecting everything going on in the mix would take a dexterous ear! “Dawn,” the next cut on the CD, slows things down and offers both the familiar (those sparkling twinkling synths which are patently Soundician) and a subtle lounge feel, via organ washes and a laid-back rhythm track. Retro-electronica/ambient fans may delight in the swirling washes of keyboards, spacy effects, and synth-pop drum programming (slow tempo) on “Edge,” while those who favor less rhythm and more of a classic spacemusic approach can look forward to the serene charms of “Lullaby for Jay.”

“Shadows,” while not sunny or cheery, is also not dark in mood except when contrasted with other pieces here. A rock-steady bass beat anchors the slow tempo while washes of keyboards flow underneath the lead synth line. “Seconds” sees the duo incorporate some hushed breathy wordless chorals juxtaposed by ethno-flute samples, koto-like strings, and what can only be described (by me) as a washboard-like rhythm! How it all works is beyond me, but it does! “She Wanders the Earth” features another unusual combination with a harpsichord loop blended with an undulating ambient drone and soon joined by some ultra cool retro-spacy electronic blooping effects and delicious neo-classical strings and harps! “Warrior” sounds like a track from a Composure (a.k.a. Bill McGee) CD, with sampled ethno-percussion beats, vague jungle-like ambiance and layer upon layer of assorted keyboards. The album concludes with another great chill-out track, “Waverley,” which hits just the right amount of twinkling synths, background washes, and midtempo cheerful rhythms.

I’ve been on the Soundician bandwagon from day one, when Odette and Kit were releasing music in a digital only (non-CD format) way before anyone else had considered doing it. They consistently deliver some of the most engaging, likable, yet unique electronic instrumental music, spanning several genres, that I have heard over the years. So much of what’s on Memorophilia will probably put a smile on your face or set your feet a tapping that I believe only the most stubborn curmudgeons would not enjoy at least some, if not all, of this album. I highly recommend it, especially to fans of European chill-out and electronic new age music. Bravo, Odette and Kit, bravo!

Bill Binkelman
Producer and Host
Wind and Wire
and
Music reviewer for New Age Reporter

And in the final actual-world review, Soundician recur with their fourth album, the third reviewed here (2001_16, 2003_d). Multi-instrumentalist Odette Johnson and partner Kit (mixing and producing) have produced Seven Sisters (www.soundician.com), a suite inspired by a Neolithic burial site near their home in Sunderland, whose trees are known as the Seven Sisters, which they have combined with the Greek seven sisters, the Pleiades. The sisters are introduced with a piece that builds layers of chimes, slow beats, rubbing rumbles, washes, a simple melody and organ in a spacey ambience. Each sister then gets a dance, each with a different flavour: Alcyone is tzingy with water sounds, an Asian feel over a darker base, Merope is slow guitar and harpsichord, languid with vocoder swirls for Taygeta, a fast Celtic/Greek one with crickets opening and closing is Celaeno (also the longest piece), Asterope has an appropriately sapcey feel while Maia is stately layered descending tones and slow melody. The final sister, Electra, billows into a groove (that reminded me of early Oldfield). A folkloric Procession, bazouka, hand drum, tones and pings before Doves to stars with a sprightly melody returns us with a whoosh into space. Soundician describe themselves, too deprecatingly, as not my normal fare - and that is very true of this issue. But their grasp of the structure and vocabulary of intelligent ambient music is firm, and their albums are positive, enjoyable and beautiful. Enjoy this album, let it wash over you and join the seven sisters in their dance.
(For a slight negative, and what the Johnsons want to do with Soundician is their concern, obviously, But I would like to hear more deep low sounds on the album (like the rumbles of the title track) or the minimalism of the soundtrack to their artists statement on the web-site).

R E V I E W
SOUNDICIAN
Seven Sisters
Soundician (2004)
Review by Bill Binkelman
Try as hard as I did, I can't warm up to the latest release by Kit and
Odette Johnson (Soundician) to the same degree that I embraced their first three albums. While there is nothing inherently wrong with Seven Sisters, and I appreciate the different direction the husband and wife team are heading in with this CD, some of the tunes lack the inherent friendliness and warmth that I heard on The Beauty is Knowing, Tranquilicity, and their
self-titled debut. On the other hand, the engineering and production are good examples of integrating disparate elements in such a way that the whole is heard as a cohesive musical vision. It just happens to be a vision that leaves me somewhat cold.
The opening title track joins darker swells and a slow tempo booming
rhythm with upper register twinkling bells which have a carnival sound to them, but slightly off-kilter as if this were a carnival in a Tim Burton
movie. "Alcyone" begins with the sound of wind and an ominous drone before quasi-glitch beats are introduced under the surface of a ebbing and
flowing wavery tone. Things are fine at first but the introduction of a sampled koto playing a light-hearted melody feels like a forced juxtaposition.
Things begin picking up on the fourth track, "Taygeta," with undulating synths imparting a liquid sense of movement accompanied by gentle shimmering bells that sparkle like the sun on the surface of the ocean. The track perfectly mixes "pretty" with a solid dose of European chill-out of the type one associates with the Ibiza crowd, but sans the techno beat. "Celaeno" opens to the sounds of crickets and, in the distance, a pealing church bell and what I can only describe as a Mediterranean-influenced hammered dulcimer. The song picks up steam and becomes a sunny bouncy composition, dominated by both the dulcimer and joyful hand bells. Spacy
electronica can be heard on "Asterope" but melded with strummed guitar at
the outset (the track becomes wholly electronica-based later on, with a flowing melody line on lead keyboard and the spacy textures underneath it). Another track that has a world fusion element to it (much more of one than "Celaeno") is "Procession" which features something that sounds either East Indian or Asian (I'm guessing it's a sampled sitar). Once
again, the traditional world instrument is interwoven with electronic music elements, this time being fluid keyboards, spacy electronic effects
and a shuffling beat. The last song, "Doves to Stars" introduces quasi-Berlin EM sequences and delightful retro sounding synths. It's too bad this song is so short (two and half minutes) because it's excellent - full of a lively sense of joy, in marked contrast with some of the darker earlier tracks.
If you were among those who thought earlier efforts from Soundician were too "pretty" or too close to straight up new age music, than perhaps Seven Sisters will do more for you than it did me. It's certainly their most
"complex" work to date and some songs even approach "challenging" in the way they mesh disparate parts to forge an unusual "whole." I know the album has met with solid radio airplay results, so I'm betting my reaction
to the CD is in the minority. Summing up, this is still a Soundician album
so be assured that it's well produced and not in the least bit mundane.
Postscript: The term "seven sisters" has two meanings. The Seven Sisters are the stars that make up the astronomical object, The Pleiades. The
tracks on the CD correspond to the stars' names. However, there is also a Seven Sisters neolithic burial site near their home. According to what I've read, the inspiration for the album has to do with
a combination of the two objects: one celestial and one earth-bound. Kit
and Odette visited the park, saw the "earthbound" Seven Sisters" and this album was the result.
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Soundician
Tranquilicity
[Self-published]
Soundician first appeared in 2001_16, and now the Johnson duo return with a new album of melodic ambience which refines and focuses their sound.
'Freefall' and a sequence of rising scales, string bass, shimmers and shakes,
balancing downwards spirals – dense aquatic propulsive layers. Another slowish rhythm in 'Cherryblossom', synthetic animals call, voice washes and long strings while tingy percussion takes the melody in eastern directions. 'Adrift' starts
with sounds that could be sites – bells, a rumble – then slow echoed tones,
spirals beep, similar piano, layered and restrained, there is a nostalgic mood
as it drifts along. Organ pulses form strata for 'Slow motion snow' created by
Japanese strings, tones and a haunting note reminiscent of a bowed saw.
Directed drift again in 'Leviathan' whose hollow tone and slow piano swims
through a deeper undertone, encircled by ringing skittering and rumbles. A swirl of bubbling keyboards surrounds 'Glides' melody. Within the context 'Kradle' is minimal and experimental as a deep tone slowly steps with a higher (sax) over it, lightly touched by voice tones, and yet achieves a classical feeling. Again,
synthetic animals call through 'Canopy' as a threatening deep, shakers, echoing burbles and melody build, the tune dancing and flittering while the threat
remains below.
A tching rhythm loop and bubbling synth underline the melody of 'Starfish' while a thoughtful piano steps through the zinging. And finally 'Waltz No.3' builds through harpsichord, washes, harps sweeps and finally piano in a swirling dance.
This is not a threatening or difficult album, but it is up there with other
albums of music to be enjoyed for their beauty and pleasure – with some hints at darker undercurrents and a complexity which allows new elements to be
discovered.

SOUNDICIAN
Tranquilicity
Soundician (2003)
On their second release, the duo of Kitt and Odette Johnson (who record as Soundician) continue to show their affinity for crafting inviting, accessible songs that traverse the ambient, melodic EM, and new age genres with amazing ease. As was evidenced on their previous CD (The Beauty is
Knowing...), these two display a knack for integrating melodic sensibility with more overt electronic music elements to yield short (the longest
track here is four and a half minutes long) yet sweet selections that
alternately twinkle, shine, float, bounce, and soar. To my ears, no one
else is making music that exhibits the same kind of cross-genre hybridization with such a high a degree of quality and sincerity.
Soundician are both unique and talented.
The album opens with the liveliest and cheeriest number, "Freefall."
Immediately, characteristic Soundician elements surface: high quality electronic keyboards, catchy refrains, and a certain "sparkle" to the
music itself. Kinetic rhythms, both synthetic and also ethnic (sampled
water drums), pump out a snappy beat while a eight-note refrain repeats in
the background. Other whirring spacy synths zoom here and there, along with isolated echoed synth notes. It all adds up to a fun cut. Another
rhythm-infused song is next. "Cherryblossom" introduces a sound that will surface again on later tracks. It sounds like the happy-go-lucky song of a
robin, albeit played out on an electronic keyboard, of course. It's extremely playful, and when wedded to a gentle but insistent midtempo rhythm (on snare, bass, and cymbal) along with soft synth chords and twinkling keyboards, the result is both fun and pretty.
That word, "pretty," while usually shunned by artists when describing their music (for some reason I'm still unclear of) is an apt description of Soundician's unique music - it's pretty. However, it's not the "pretty" of syrup and sugar. There's more substance here. However, there's no denying that songs like "Slow Motion Snow" (with koto-samples, shimmering keyboards, and waves of electronic undercurrents) are, well, pretty; or, if you prefer, even beautiful. The simplicity (it's well-engineered but not overly dense or ultra-complex in the mix) of Kitt and Odette's music cleverly hides their attention to detail and their devotion to fashioning tunes that convey a true visual sense. The appropriately-titled
"Leviathan" has all manner of "underwater" elements and textures: sonar-like reverberations, wavering fluid-like tones, a slow but deliberate sense of undulation - and when you least expect it, forlorn
guitar (or sampled guitar). "Glide" gently soars on soft airborne currents, as portrayed by layers of ethereal synths and Kevin Kendle-like keyboard notes. "Adrift" (one of the slightly dark tracks on the CD) contains elements of classic spacemusic (echoed synth piano, synth washes, plucked string keyboards) and easily conjures up a sensation of floating
through either the Earth's atmosphere or the cosmic backwaters of the Milky Way.
While hard core ambient music fans might turn up their noses at the overt
sampled-flute keyboard on "Kradle" or the obvious classically-influenced
"Waltz No. 3" with its synth string section and harpsichord, those who
enjoy both melody and electronics will find more than a few gems to ponder
and examine onTranquilicity. From the catchy rhythms of tracks like "Freefall," "Cherryblossom," and "Starfish," to the traditional ambient textures of "Adrift," "Leviathan," to the hybrid tracks like "Canopy,"
Soundician shows that The beauty is knowing... was not a fluke, but instead was a mere appetizer with many more sonic delights yet to come.

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Soundician
Tranquilicity 3 stars
CD-R, Self-Released 2003
“Tranquilicity” is the last CD of the duo until now, with again a special melange of rather challenging ambient music. “Freefall” offers an inviting welcome, followed by the laidback and light atmosphere of “Cherryblossom” with a great melody that runs the surface. “Adrift” is a piece of traditional ambient music with distinct, soft dwelling soundscapes and echoing piano-keys, and the same style also applies to “Leviathan” (although a certain underwater-feel is apparent). “Glide” is an airy piece of music, taking the listener on a 3-minute journey above the clouds. “Kradle” is a different story with its penetrating, sampled flute sounds, and a bit harsh to my taste. “Canopy” takes a dive into ambient textural landscape, but also features some remarkable sequence patterns. “Starfish” is a nice, rhythmic track giving an almost happy feeling again, before “Waltz No3” concludes the album in a classical way, but also carries a vague traces of the soundtrack “Bilitis”.“Tranquilicity” offers something for every fan of nowadays ambient music, so make sure to give this CD or soundbites of it a listen.

Soundician
The Beauty is Knowing…
While Soundician have released via the web (Liquid Audio and MP3 albums) it is also possible to get ‘hardcopy’ disks from them directly, so they fit this issue. Musically untrained, they represent one of the other aspects of DIYing: the tools of the trade (synths, mixers etc) have become more available and people are learning to do it themselves (punk ambient?) and going in various directions at once. Soundician describe themselves as eclectic, which is true.
Tuned woodblock percussion (synth - as are all instruments here) create a rapid melodic grounding over which whooshing and shimmers dash, then joined by a thumbpiano and xylophone alternating the main melody of ‘Pebble’. Voice washes are here, as elsewhere. In ‘Missed’ a deep echoed slow drum provides a grounding for rising and resonant tones and a simple picked piano melody surrounded by tinkles (perhaps a bit newage, but the opening and closing tapehiss is a surprise). Somewhat Tangerine-ish, ‘Icicle’ has various synth melodies (vibratto string, voice and thintones) over a rhythm created from a looped bellmelody. A similar influence on the more techno ‘Horizon’ which has a supple and interesting drum loop driving the piano and rising strings.
A dreamy keymelody is surrounded by high calls, tone and voice washes and wooshy electro in ‘Aquamarine’ with a simple, rapid beat below. Just when you thought this was straightforward lush ambience, along comes ‘Drowned’ where high echoed bleeps, like some alien animal, call around a sparse beat, with some washes and shimmering blips. And then comes ‘Ether’ where stretched metallic tones cycle is joined by an evocative musicbox melody and then a high almost whistling tone melody that occasionally ear pierces. After which ‘Papillon’ is a jaunty ride of squelched chords and dancing keyboard and harp melodies with lighthearted intimations of atonality ond offkey registers. A bigish finale with ‘Smile’: tyatya repeated loops as layers are added - a slow organ melody, an echoey main tune, pulses and a beat slipped under.
This is a enjoyable album - the music is light and pleasing, and there are times in this world when you need that. It has a bit of the feel of a compilation because of the varied nature as Soundician find their voice (some influences are clear), but Odette is a skilled selftaught musician with a clear ear, and it is produced it well (not sure what his influence on the sound is). Well worth checking out if you want some relaxing melodic, with a suggestion of some more devious avenues that the pair could take in the future.

Soundician
The Beauty of Knowing 2,5 stars
CD-R, Eigen beheer 2001
Soundician’s 2nd album ”Beauty of Knowing” is a bit shorter as it offers just 35 minutes of music, but musically it digs in the same territory as its predecessor. From the beginning is becomes clear that the expressiveness of their music has grown, and again there are great atmospheric tracks to be found like “Horizon” and “Aquamarine”, but with “Drowned” and “Ether” the duo again also dares to step into the deep end as darker undercurrents show up. Surprisingly enough they finish with the nod and a wink of “Smile”. Their sound is tempting and daring, but the sound- and production deserves thumbs up.
Bert Strolenberg

It is difficult to imagine, but Soundician's second CD, "The Beauty is Knowing...", is even deeper and more beautiful than their first.

Using a more sophisticated and more sedate symphonic synthesizer, Odette Johnson and Kit Johnson have fashioned a vast atmospheric wall of sound. But this is not about technique and technology. Odette and Kit have depth in their music.

This music is for crawling inside and escaping for a moment or two. Deep listeners will appreciate the vibrant tones and the vivid colors. Those qualities give this album its extra appeal.

This wonderful CD is a gem, worthy of inclusion - as a late entry - in many "Best of Year" lists. It is a brief rest stop on the highway of life.

Reviewed by Jim Brenholts, author of "Tracks Across the Universe: A Chronology of Ambient and Electronic Music"

SOUNDICIAN
The Beauty is Knowing...
(C & P) Soundician (2001)

The Beauty is Knowing...from the duo of Kit and Odette Johnson (who record as Soundician) amply delivers on the promise of their previously recorded
music (available only on Liquid Audio via download). The CD features nine
tracks, most of which are three to four minutes in length. All the songs
display this duo¹s considerable talent in various micro-genres of electronic keyboard music. Swinging from moods both joyful and celebratory ('Pebble,'
'Horizon,' and 'Papillion') to wistful (the wonderful 'Icicle') and
including some darker tone poems as well ('Missed,' 'Drowned' and 'Ether'),
the album¹s strengths are both its polished production and engineering and the unified-yet-diverse approach to composition and performance. While the songs are almost uniformly built upon a repeated musical phrase or melody (all of the cuts being unique to each other, of course), the different moods and tempos lend The Beauty is Knowing...an air of constant flux. If one were
to place one¹s CD player into 'random play' for this album, I suspect it
would be even more delightful an experience as the sequence would be
constantly re-shuffled, adding to the feeling of pleasant 'vertigo,' as it
were.

Musically, some songs are dominated by shimmering synthesizers, such as my
personal favorite, 'Icicle,' and the closing number, 'Smile.' The latter
transforms itself into a nice low-key drum and bass song by the end - nice
wrinkle, that! 'Pebble' opens with a reverbed cymbal sound and features
delicious kalimba-like tones repeating over synth-vibes, which are also
heavily echoed. 'Missed' starts off with a thundering bass percussive effect melded to a lower register drone. When a somber piano begins playing a series of repeated notes, the piece takes on a subtle Tim Story-like mood - again, nicely done! 'Icicle' as I stated earlier, is my absolute fave on the
CD. Shimmering bell-like synths, high-pitched keyboards, and lush synth
choruses, combine to paint a cool yet starkly beautiful musical image of
icicles hanging from a house¹s roof, reflecting fading sunlight as day comes to a close. Low-key but still pronounced Berlin-esque touches successfully
strip the song of any 'new age' pretenses. This last comment underscores Kit
and Odette¹s knack for adding a wrinkle here and a bit of flavor there to
breathe added freshness into their music.

Consistently enjoyable, holding up well to repeated listenings (I gave the album at least ten spins prior to reviewing), The Beauty is Knowing...beckons a bright future for Soundician. Catchy without being poppish, ethereal without being cloying, and using electronic rhythms (which
I should have delved into more of in this review - sorry) in inventive and
clever ways, the recording reveals that the genre of melodic electronic
keyboard music has lots of mileage left in it - in the right hands, ofcourse! Recommended!

SOUNDICIAN
Soundician
(CD-R of Liquid Audio tracks on the artist's website) (2000)
Mixing up various forms of electronic music, e.g. dark-flavored ambient dub, noir-ish electronica, beat-oriented space music and melodic yet still atmospheric soundscapes, the duo that call themselves Soundician have fashioned music that is imminently listenable yet also challenging enough
so as to not be merely the latest ear candy. What's just as unusual as the music is that this is not available as a CD, per se. It's (the music, that
is) stored on their website as Liquid Audio. [note: the tracks reviewed
here are now readily available on the artist's mp3.com site as 2 different
DAM CDs] However, since reviewing music requires ready access to it, one song at a time, I convinced them to send me a one-off CD-R. And boy, am I
glad I did. This is some tasty stuff, brimming with shadowy darkness, sexy
rhythms, and a velvet smooth assortment of sensuous synths.
Since the music on the site is not in "album" format, there is no point in talking about "opening" or "closing" cuts. So, I'll just randomly comment
on my favorite songs. "Anniversary" features a snaky series of beats, midtempo in speed and smoky synths, while piano carries the melancholic melody line. "Aegean Blue," fittingly, has a floating series of synths and ultra-lush strings riding lazily over a kinetic bass rhythm. Again a piano carries the refrain, but it's matched by some cool echo-effect spacy synth effects. While there is a light feel to the song, somehow this comes
across more as a cyber-romantic cut than as dripping wet melodrama. Now, on "Obsidian" the tone becomes decidedly darker, as the song opens with drone-buzz synths which are soon joined by a really eerie beat, almost
sounding like some kind of beast dragging its feet on metallic ground.
Disturbing but in a hip and cool way. "Curtain" explores spacy territory
with cascading arrhythmic synths, Liquid Mind-like synth choruses, and
other keyboard washes and effects. "Sleepwalker" is surprisingly cheery,
with warm analog synth notes bubbling on top of billowy soft synth washes.
Definitely a bit retro at times, the song is sincere and friendly. Here again, the duo (Kit and Odette) show a wonderful knack for fusing piano lead lines with three, four, and even five different electronic keyboard layers. Most impressive. "Dark Water" starts off with the slow sound of drops falling into a pool of subterranean water (that's a solid guess, I think, as you'll doubtless agree when you hear it). Minimal synths weave
vague fog-clouds of chords and sparse piano notes play out a sad and
reflective song laced with regret.
There were a few more songs on the CD-R too, but as I said, reviewing this
as an "album" seems somewhat ill-advised. What I can tell you with certainty, though, is that Soundician's music is first-rate EM.
Engineering is excellent - the mix is well-done and the production is full
of nice touches that make it hard to believe this is their first stab at
music (they only started creating music in September of 1999). Their songs are both beautiful and moody, filled with music that is visual and
evocative. I don't know exactly how the whole Liquid Audio thing works,
except that you download the songs from their website (see above).Kit wrote to me that they are open to producing "hard copy" (his choice of
words) CDs if asked to do so. I'm willing to bet that if you listen to even a few minutes of their music, you'll want to either download it all or else ask for a CD-R. If you're a fan of spacy yet melodic dub, ambient noir (on the lighter side of dark) with sensual beats, or just a lover of way cool EM, you're gonna love Soundician. These two have a lot to offer the genre. I urge you to support them in any way you can.

Soundician
Soundician 2,5 stars
CD-R Self-released 2000
Soundician are Odette and Kit Johnson from Northern England, who started the band back in 1999. Odette writes the music and plays all instruments while Kit mixes and produces the outcome. Soundician (whose motto is: “remember, it is better to miss a beat than to miss the point”) doesn’t characterize their music, but say its "an eclectic blend of electronic minimalist / classical music, with a touch of ambient -space and lush melodic EM". The same-titled album is their debut and the 45 minutes of instrumental music indeed doesn’t make it easy to classify, although listening to it several times does result in a typical Soundician-sound. Their style ranges from electronic minimalism to dreamy and space/ambient, although a few experimental/classic angles also can be noticed. Back to the album I would say “Jewel” and “Hironi” to be moody cosmic while “Curtain” en “Lament” get into the experiment. The closing track “Archangel” gets nice dash of symphonic elements to it. In all, this is not that easy music, but keep in mind that magic starts to work as you give this disc some more spins. Currently, the band has remastered the first album.
Bert Strolenberg

SOUNDICIAN
CDR

Soundician is Odette and Kit Johnson, a duo recording instrumental electronic music from a little back room in the north of England, "trying to bring some sense to Our world via the medium of sound". This CDR is a completely homemade production, and collects a series of tracks that are also available as Liquid Audio files from their website. Odette composes and performs the music, while Kit does the mixing and production work. The music most often takes the form of gentle ambient-electronic music (often with strong old-school Eno-esque leanings), probably made exclusively with analogue synths. Textures range from smooth waves of sound to more rough patches, melodies are sometimes quirky and at others are mellow or meditative. The tracks do cross over a number of musical territories, yet still they never branch off far enough so as to make Soundician's compositional voice unrecognisable. Smooth waves of sound and a gentle percussive rhythm makes "Obsidian" one of my favourites here, along with the circular melody of "Sleepwalker". Soundician's debut is a charming record of inspired and inspirational music, clearly a labour of love and the result of a great admiration of retro-ambient music. [Richard di Santo]

Soundician is Odette Johnson and Kit Johnson. Soundician is also their debut CD and it is "out there," so to speak!

There are no rules so Odette and Kit follow no rules. Their motto is "... remember, it's better to miss a beat than to miss the point ...". They classify this music as "eclectic" and that is appropriate. It has elements of minimalism, space music, trip hop and experimental music. it is electronic and it is deep.

They are, quite literally, inviting listeners to enter their journey and their world as they try to bring sense to it. The music does that. It is relaxing eclectica and listeners entering their soundworld are free to roam or to follow Odette and Kit.

This is a worthy adventure and a viable candidate for top newcomer.